Group Directors of DSI Samson meet Kotler

World renowned marketing guru Professor Philip Kotler visited Sri Lanka, bringing pride and glory to our nation. He is regarded as the father of modern marketing and is ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top six most influential business thinkers. 

Professor Kotler is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees from schools all over the world. He is considered as both a creator and disseminator of knowledge to marketers at all stages, from beginners to postgraduate students.

This guru, as he has been commonly called, has an incredible international presence with his books translated into approximately 25 languages and has co-authored with world famous authors to regionally spread his knowledge and works. In addition, Professor Kotler has published many articles and journals based on a variety of seminal works carried out, contributing to the broadening of the scope of marketing and its literature. He is also a regular speaker on the international circuit. 

His visit to Sri Lanka was made in conjunction with the introduction of his latest concept ‘Marketing 3.0’ to the Sri Lankan business and marketing community. ‘Marketing 3.0’ is a concept that goes beyond the basics of marketing and is all about growing with all the stakeholders. 

Unlike traditional marketing that emphasises rational (mind) and emotional (heart) benefits to a consumer, ‘Marketing 3.0’ includes a third dimension – ‘spirit.’ Organisations will need to define themselves not just in terms of products and profitability, but in terms of their values and larger connect with the community. This is extremely relevant in today’s information age, where people are no longer willing to take brands at face value. 

The new buzzwords are not just value or benefit, but include authenticity and social impact as well. Philip Kotler’s new definition of marketing is simple and straight forward; “restoring consumer trust”.

DSI, one of the leading local brands and the leader in footwear retailing in Sri Lanka, took upon the responsibility of being a proud partner of this event of national significance. In order to get an understanding of the business environment in Sri Lanka, Kotler had several discussions with the senior management of top corporates in Sri Lanka and DSI is proud to have been one of the few privileged corporates.

During his discussion with the management team from DSI he strongly appreciated the diversification approach followed by the group, and considered it to be a ‘3.0 Marketing’ company which follows a broader holistic approach.

Further, he was very impressed with the support extended by DSI towards the encouragement of self-employment, assistance to local community and promotion of sports, arts and aesthetic talents and the strong link maintained with both its upstream and downstream supply chain partners.